The Game
by Trebla
Summary: Athena is bored, and Yuugi doesn't live too far away. She needs someone to talk to, and she and her alter ego, Isis, are fond of Yuugi and his pharaoh. What will happen when Athena suggests a game between her and Yuugi? M for language.


heh, i'm guilty as charged... instead of working on my Kakashi story, i've found wonderful ideas for two animes other than Naruto. (though i will get around to the ShikaTema one i mentioned, i promise!) i refuse to spill on what the second one's about, but i will mention that all of you Edward fans out there will be happy (i hope) once you get your paws on it. ;D  
anyway, this takes place in the first Millennium World volume of Yu-Gi-Oh, in that one part where Yugi and Yami are talking to each other, before someone tries to steal the God Cards. :P i was reading it, and when Yami appeared, i was like "ooh! this would be so cool to have another person with a spirit trapped in a millennium item talking to thsoe two!" so yeah. this is the first aprt, which is Yugi/OC. i haven't written the Yami part yet, cause i feel really guilty about racking up a 12 dollar fine on my mom's library card (yes, i did that! it was a lot of books) and so now i need to get through the other anime book i'm hogging, so i can give it back. . see, i need it for dialoug, and... oh, forget it. :P

um, Yami? can you do the disclaimer?

Yami: perhaps. when will i get my chapter?

Me: *sigh* i'll get it to you eventually, all right? just keep your pants on. *inner thoughts: hmm, maybe i should make him wait longer...*

Yami: fine. Brynn-

Me: unfortunately!

Yami: *glares* does not own the Yu-Gi-Oh series. is my chapter finished yet?

Me: NO! now go sulk in your puzzle or make out with your OC girlfriend or something.

Yami: *huffs and stalks away, looking offended*

Me: *sigh* i'd better get to work.

* * *

I paced in my room restlessly. Back and forth, back and forth. The circlet on my head glinted in the dim light of my bedside lamp.

Stopping suddenly in the middle of the room, I whirled around and faced my alter ego, who was sitting on the bed, watching me calmly. She was everything I wasn't, personality-wise; I was hotheaded and had a short temper, she would be able to sit for hours watching paint dry. I had a foul mouth, she hardly even used the word 'stupid.' The only thing that was similar about us was our appearances, and that was only because she was trapped in the Millennium Circlet on my head. In reality, she was probably a tall, dark Egyptian beauty, whereas I was an average, pale sophomore who had to dye her hair black. The only thing unique about me was my eyes. One blue, one green. Sapphire and jade. The ocean and the leaves. However you looked at it, they were pretty cool. And I was fine with that. Everything else about me screamed 'juvenile delinquent,' anyway. Though, technically, the worst that I'd ever gotten was some in-school for busting some guy's nose. But hey, that bitch was asking for it. No one picks on my friends and gets away with it.

Especially Yuugi. Anyone picks on Yuugi, and I bring the motherfuckin' smack down on them. I'd hit them so hard, they wouldn't remember their own name.

That may seem a little protective, like I was going all mother hen on Yug, but that wasn't the case. Yuugi was the sweetest guy I'd ever known, and he preferred talking to fighting. I respected him for that, though it wasn't exactly my style. People often saw it as a weakness, however, and that pissed me off. So the guy was actually nice, instead of a meat headed jerk like the rest of the testosterone powerhouses in the school. So what? I liked it.

Okay, there, I've said it. I like Yuugi Mutou. A lot. That's probably a weird thing to hear from me, but hey, I'm not all cussing and fists. Just…most of the time.

Anyway, tomorrow was the day that we were going to check out some new Egyptian exhibit in the museum, because it might have something to do with unlocking my alter's memories. Yuugi and I had the same goal, which made me feel a little less alone in the world. I mean, it's not every day that you pick up some cheap-ass circlet at a flea market to complete your Halloween costume, only to find that it's really some sort of ancient artifact with the soul of a dead woman sealed inside of it. That may not be what happened to Yuugi, but the basic idea is the same.

"What's wrong, Athena?" my alter- whom I'd given the name Isis, just so things were less confusing- asked me.

I stood in the middle of the room, chewing on my lip with my arms crossed. "I hate that name," I muttered to myself. "Why did my parents have to be mythology geeks?"

Athena was the goddess of wisdom or something, right? Well, I wasn't smart, wise, or even witty. Blunt words were more my thing. I didn't have the finesse and skill my namesake probably possessed. I didn't know. I'd never researched her, but probably she was also gorgeous beyond imagining, and I was nothing in comparison.

Sighing, I walked over to my bed and sat down on it ruefully, putting my chin in my hands.

"I can't sleep," I announced, like it was an important discovery to be shared with the world. Isis rolled her eyes, somehow making the motion look delicate with my clumsy body.

Strike up another mark for the Egyptian princess or whatever she was. We actually didn't know, though we had long discovered that Yuugi's alter was the soul of an Egyptian pharaoh. Yet, we hadn't the slightest clue who Isis really was. Hopefully, tomorrow would bring us some answers.

Standing up suddenly, I began to work the catch on my ancient window, trying to get it open.

"What are you doing, Athena?" Isis asked, eyebrows raised elegantly.

Finally getting the window open with a triumphant shout, I flinched as the sound echoed throughout my room. Pausing to listen for any sound of the 'rents, I quickly scrambled out onto the roof of my back porch, which my window opened out on. It was the perfect room to sneak away from, because once you were on the roof, it was only a short drop to the ground.

"Going to Yuugi's," I answered finally, looking around before jumping down to the ground.. "I bet he can't sleep either. Maybe I'll get tired or something on the way. You know Grandpa Mutou would let me sleep over."

This was, in fact, true. I hadn't actually slept over at Yuugi's before, but his grandpa had offered numerous times, which always made Yugi red in the face. I'd never accepted before, but I figured the offer was still standing.

I could almost see Isis rolling her eyes at me. _You know, if you told Yugi about this little crush of yours, things would go a lot more smoothly between you two, _Isis commented, her voice resonating inside my head now that she had returned to the Circlet. This was a strange thing with Isis. It was like she could project an image of herself outside the Circlet that only I could see. Weird, but cool, in my opinion.

Looking around, I grinned and threw my hands in the air.

"I'm free!" I whisper-shouted, not wanting to get caught by my parents for sneaking out at one-thirty in the morning.

_Exactly. And since it's after curfew, you might get caught by the police anyway unless you get moving, _Isis reminded me.

Oh, right. I started down the street at a brisk pace, fast enough to get me where I was going in a timely manner, but still allowed me to look like a belonged on the streets way past curfew. I kept to the shadows and moved quickly, and soon I had reached the game store that Yuugi's grandfather owned by himself.

I knew there was a skylight that led into Yugi's room, which was on the second floor of the house. I also knew that there was a ladder that ended just below said skylight, and I was planning to use these two elements as my way into Yuugi's house.

Locating the ladder quickly, I held my breath as I began to climb, hoping that none of the neighbors were looking out their windows right now.

Finally, I reached the top. There were no ledges to climb up on to here, so I held onto the ladder as I judged the distance from the top rung to the window. I attempted to stretch up and reach the glass with one hand, but I fell about a foot short.

Swearing quietly under my breath, I moved up a rung and tried again, straining to keep a hand on the top rung so I didn't fall off. Still no good. I still needed a good nine inches before I could even reach the bottom of the window. There was no choice. I was going to have to let go of the top rung and reach for the window that way.

_Athena, don't you think it would be a good idea to rethink this? _Isis asked, her voice borderline panicked. _You could always throw rocks at the window, maybe…_

I snorted. "What if he's asleep?" I asked, moving up a rung and trying again, without standing up all the way. Close, but not quite. If I just stretched out to my full height, I might be able to make it. "He won't hear the rocks, and if I go too big, I'll break the window. And where would that get us?"

_Then maybe we should just go home. We'll see him tomorrow, _Isis suggested hurriedly. I rolled my eyes and glanced downward. Ouch. If I fell from this height, it would hurt like hell when I hit the ground. It might even be fatal.

_F…fatal? _Isis echoed, not sounding the least bit happy. I took a deep breath and slowly began inching my way up the wall. "Yup. Fucking fatal. So, I suggest you say your prayers now and hope you get your memory back in heaven if we die. I probably won't see you there, 'cause everyone knows I'm going to hell." I grinned wickedly and stretched up as tall as I could, one hand bracing myself against the wall. Bingo. I was able to feel the smooth glass underneath my fingers, and I began tapping on it with all my might, hoping that Yuugi wasn't sleep.

Suddenly, my nose began to itch. "Oh, shit," I muttered, twitching my nose and hoping to god that the sneeze wouldn't be violent enough to knock me from my precarious position on top of the ladder. But then again, I wasn't known for my gentle sneezes.

Isis totally lost it then. _We're gonna die! _she shrieked, and tried fighting me for control of my body. Fighting back, I wobbled dangerously, almost losing my balance.

"You're gonna fucking kill us both, you crazy bitch!"I shouted, scrambling to find a hold on the smooth wall as one of my feet slipped from the rung.

I managed to grab ahold of the windowsill, and I held on for dear life, afraid to even try and regain my footing on the rungs in case the movements made me lose my grip on the sill.

"Damn it, now you've done it," I growled, not really sure what to do next. My hand was tiring quickly, and I didn't know how much longer I could hold on for. Isis had stopped fighting me for control, at least; instead, she was whimpering in fear as my hand slipped little by little off of the windowsill.

Just when I thought I was going to have to let go and hope I didn't die once I hit the ground, the window was flung open and two strong hands reached out to pull me in. I barely had time to register that my savior was none other than Yuugi's alter before I found myself sprawled on the floor in Yuugi's room, breathing heavily and trying to make myself stop trembling.

Isis appeared next to me, her normally calm face livid with fury.

"What was that?" he hissed, nearly spitting. "You could've gotten us killed!" I flinched away, surprised. I had never seen Isis like this before. She was freaked to the point of hysteria. In fact, all of this seemed to start once I began to climb the ladder to Yuugi's room-

Suddenly, everything clicked into place. I blinked at the obviousness of the thing that was staring me in the face.

"Isis," I asked suddenly. "Are you afraid of heights?"

Pausing in surprise, Isis thought that over. "I…I guess I am," she admitted finally, as though the idea had never occurred to her before. Yuugi, who was once again his normal self, laughed, and from the shadows came a deeper chuckle as Yuugi's alter, also known as Yami, appeared, outside of his host's body.

I was surprised for a moment until I remembered that Isis had the same power. Having regained her composure, Isis, hearing my thoughts, rolled her eyes. Sticking my tongue out at her in response, I caught Yuugi looking between the two of us, confused. I just shook my head and grinned at him.

Letting out a sigh, Yuugi sat on his bed. Isis and I moved at the same time, her moving to sit cross-legged on Yuugi's desk, me pushing myself up off of the floor and scrabbling onto the bed, making myself comfortable. Still looking mildly amused, Yuugi's alter took a seat in the desk chair in front of Isis, so they could talk face-to-face.

Yuugi turned to look at me and asked the obvious question that was on both the boys' minds.

"What are you doing here, again?" he asked me. I blew out a sigh and looked at him through my hair.

"Cause," I answered, flopping back onto the bed. "I couldn't sleep. I figured you couldn't, either, so I came over." Shrugging, I added, "They say misery loves company."

That got a smile from Yuugi, who had to look down to see me clearly. "But I'm too excited to be miserable!" he exclaimed. "Tomorrow we might be able to unlock the secret of the other me's memories! And the other you, too," he added.

Unconsciously, my eyes flickered over to where Isis was sitting, lost in conversation with Yami. I smiled slightly and turned my gaze back to Yuugi, only to catch him looking at me. He averted his gaze quickly, and I bit my lip, trying to hide my smile.

To dispel the awkward moment, I jerked my head at the two alters, who were both completely ignoring us as they spoke in hushed voices, leaving us totally free to talk about them at will.

"They seem to like talking to each other," I commented, tilting my head slightly to ask Yuugi's agreement. He glanced over at the two, who appeared to have moved closer since we'd gotten here, and shrugged.

I raised an eyebrow. "Any closer, and she'll be sitting in his fucking lap," I muttered to myself.

Yuugi looked pained. "Why do you have to swear so much?" he asked me. I grinned.

"Sorry, dude. I can't help it," I told him. "it's a part of who I am."

Yuugi sighed. "Well, can you try not to? Just for a little bit?" he pleaded.

I laughed. "Okay," I agreed, but suddenly a daring plan began to form in my mind. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Isis glance at me sharply before grinning widely and turning back to talk excitedly with Yami.

Seeing this, I felt a pang as I realized that Isis really liked the pharaoh, and hadn't told me about it. I felt a little hurt by this, to be honest. I mean, here we were, two partners and friends, willing to give our lives for each other, yet Isis hadn't the courage to tell me about one measly little crush? I mean, I'd told her about Yuugi without her asking, so why couldn't she do the same for me?

But, I realized suddenly, what if Isis didn't realize how much she really liked him? Or, for whatever reason, she was denying her true feelings, and hadn't told me about it? Maybe that was it. It made sense, after all. It would explain the fact that I hadn't felt, from our shared connection, any strong emotions concerning the alter. Usually I picked up things like that, but I hadn't felt anything before.

"Hey, Athena-chan? You in there?" Yuugi asked me, waving a hand in my face, breaking my train of thought. Blinking, I made myself focus on him. Yuugi's Millennium Puzzle glinted in the soft light from his desk, while his innocent violet eyes looked at me expectantly.

In my opinion, there were many types of sexy in the world. Yuugi just happened to be all of my favorite kinds all rolled into one, and I was loving it.

I grinned at Yuugi sheepishly. "Sorry, Yug," I said. "I got distracted by the lovebirds over there." I gestured vaguely over to where Isis and Yami were sitting, completely lost in one another's eyes or something else mushy like that.

Looking at the two more closely, understanding dawned on Yuugi's face. "So that's why I've been having so many dreams about her…" he muttered, more to himself than to me. I pretended not to hear, though inside I was dancing for joy. Having the pharaoh and my very own mystery girl together would be so perfect. I hoped it happened. If it didn't, I would be perfectly fine with giving the two a nudge in the right direction…

Decidedly turning my back on Isis and Yami, to give them some privacy, I grinned at Yuugi. "Let's leave those two alone, and try to block their thoughts. Give them some privacy, maybe," I said. Yuugi nodded, and I frowned, having to take a moment to remember what I had been about to say.

"Oh! Okay, so, you wanted me to stop swearing, right?" I said. Yuugi nodded, urging me silently to continue. "Well, all right then. To make this more interesting, let's turn this into a game, shall we?"

"A game?" Yuugi echoed, looking a little anxious. I nodded.

"Yup. But don't worry," I assured him, "It's not a shadow game or anything. Just a regular, old-fashioned competitive game, with a prize at the end for the loser."

Yuugi frowned. "A prize for the loser? Why would you do it that way?" he asked. I winked at him.

"You'll find out at the end, now won't you? Anyway, do you want to play?"

Yuugi smiled and nodded. "Course I want to play! But," he cautioned, pointing a finger at me, "I'm warning you, I hardly ever lose."

I grinned and sat up, seating myself so that I was across from Yuugi. "I accept your challenge," I told him, before launching into the explanation of the rules.

"It's simple, really. The object of the game is to be the quietest. Whoever speaks first loses. You got that?" Yuugi nodded, and I continued. "Good. Anything else goes, as long as not words come out of our mouths. Okay?" Yuugi grinned.

" I got it." he said. I nodded.

"Okay. Ready, set, go!" And the game was on.

The first part of my plan had been put into action, and everything was going the way I hoped. It had been about five minutes or so since the game started, and neither of us had said a word. Yuugi looked determined, and I knew he took all games seriously. Blowing off a game because he didn't feel like it wasn't his style. Yet, if he lost, he wasn't a sore loser. It was a good combination, in my opinion.

I glanced at the clock. It was now about two in the morning, meaning that I had been here for about half an hour. Luckily, my parents weren't the type to check in on me before they left for work, otherwise I'd feel kinda shitty about leaving like that.

Anyway, it was time to put phase two of my plan into action.

Slowly, not looking at Yuugi, as though what I was doing was an unconscious act, I raised my hands and began clicking my fingernails together.

The effect was immediate. Yuugi's eyes widened, and he clamped his hands over his ears, trying to block out the sound. I grinned and moved my hands closer to his ears, knowing he could still hear the offending sound anyway.

I didn't know why, but one of the things Yuugi hated most in the world was the sound of fingernails hitting against each other. It was by far the weirdest pet peeve I'd even seen, but now I was grateful for the advantage. If I didn't win this game, all of my plans would be ruined.

Yuugi did his best, but there was nothing he could do against the onslaught of the noise.

"All right! Okay! You win, Athena!" he called out finally, grabbing my fingers to stop me. Grinning, I punched a fist in the air.

"Yes!" I crowed triumphantly. "I knew that would work!"

Yuugi smiled at me and sighed. "Yeah, you won, fair and square…" he said, shaking his head a little as though to dislodge the last of the horrible fingernail noise.

"Man, I wasn't expecting you to remember that…" he said to himself.

I grinned and gave him a playful punch to the shoulder. "Aw, come on, Yug. Lighten up. I know it was low of me, but I had to do it, otherwise you wouldn't have gotten your prize!"

Yuugi cocked his head slightly as he looked at me, giving me the impression of a curious puppy. "So, what is the prize, anyway?" he asked me.

I felt a sudden surge of nervousness as I looked at him, and prayed that it didn't show on my face. "You need to close your eyes before I give it to you," I told him, my heart beginning to beat faster.

Yuugi did as he was told, and I took a deep breath, bracing myself. Here was the big moment. It was now or never.

But…

What if it didn't work? What if it turned out that Yuugi didn't like me after all? I wavered, almost giving in to my fear.

Suddenly, I saw Isis look up at me and smile, giving me a thumbs up. _You can do it, _her voice echoed in my mind.

A slow smile crept across my face at Isis' words. On this sudden rush of confidence, I decided to just get it over with, whatever the consequence.

Leaning forward, I gently pressed my lips to Yuugi's own.

He stiffened immediately, and despair swept through me. I should've known. He didn't like me, just like I'd thought. He was probably more for types like Anzu- perky, girly types. I was more like Jounochi- tough, reliable, but just a friend.

Feeling disheartened, I began to pull back. To my great shock, Yuugi took my hands and squeezed them gently as he followed me forward, not breaking our contact.

I couldn't believe it. Here I was, all gloom and doom because the only boy I'd ever had a true respect and like- no let's not kid ourselves here- love for didn't feel the same way, and here it turns on me when I discover the attraction is two-sided after all. To be honest, I wasn't sure whether I should be pissed or overjoyed.

Either way, I leaned back into Yuugi's kiss, enjoy ding the feel of having his lips on mine at last. There wasn't any tongue, which didn't really bother me anyway because I doubted I'd know what to do. My experience in these matters was next to nothing, since most guys thought I was just one of the dudes, and therefore felt no attraction to me whatsoever. Apparently Yuugi didn't have a whole bunch of experience either, because the kiss was a little awkward at first, with us becoming used to the other. Finally, we both relaxed and got into it, and it was probably the best kiss I'd ever had.

Unfortunately, people need to breathe sometime, so I pulled back from Yuugi's lips and sat back, waiting.

He looked a little disoriented as he looked at me, and I grinned and laced our fingers together.

"Some prize, huh?" I asked him. Yuugi nodded, and I chuckled.

"So…do you hate me for that?" I asked, my voice suddenly soft as I kept my gaze fixed on our intertwined fingers.

"Hate you? No, definitely not," Yuugi responded, almost immediately. I looked up at him, and my face split in a huge grin.

"So…does that mean we're together?" I asked carefully, before I did anything drastic. Yuugi blinked at me in surprise, as though he had never thought of it before.

"I… I guess we are," he said finally. Holding back a girlish squeal of delight- Me? Squeal? Not on your fuckin' life!- I threw my arms around Yuugi's neck and shifted so that my head was resting comfortably on his shoulder.

"I'll make sure you won't regret it," I told him, meeting his gaze and smiling.

"I'm not regretting it now," Yuugi replied, a light blush creeping across his face as I sighed contentedly and snuggled closer.

"Yuugi? I have one question," I said, letting my arms fall from Yuugi's shoulders to around his waist.

"Hmm?" he responded, stroking my head with a tentative hand.

"Can I sleep here tonight?" I asked, my voice small as I buried my head in Yuugi's chest. Mmm, he smelled good. Like freshly-baked cookies, which was my favorite scent in the world, by the way.

I don't think Yuugi even stopped to consider it as he responded, "Of course."

I let a lazy smile drift across my face as I closed my eyes. "Okay. Thanks, Yuugi-kun."

"You're welcome… Koishii."

And with that, I was asleep before I even remembered I was tired.

_Meanwhile, two certain spirits had been quietly monitoring the actions of their partners, and smiled, quietly satisfied, before moving closer together._

_

* * *

_

Me: okay, done with that. *looks satisifed*

Athena: fuckin hell. it's f-f-freezing in here!! *shivers and rubs arms*

Me: sorry. i know there are icicles hanging off of my walls from the air conditioner, but i needed the cold! it helps me focus.

Yami: i think i have frostbite. *examines fingers*

Me: oh, suck it up. you'll be fine. you're dead anyway, remember?

Isis: she has a point.

Yami: who's side are you on, anyway?

Isis: my own side. i just enjoy helping you out.

Yami: you're very independent. it's one of the reasons i like you.

Isis: i'm very dominating too. want to see?

Me and Athena: OH HELL NO!!

Me: i need to get back to work!!


End file.
